* The numbers of the stanzas and lines are correct, as may be seen from the details given in § 51. Regarding the words there is the uncertainty as to what constitutes a compound word, but, taking each compound in Westergaard’s edition of the texts as a single word, the total number of words in the ror6 lines is about 6147; and this could be reduced to 5567 only by omit- ting the Yasna of seven chapters, and somewhat relaxing the rule as to compound words. ‘The meaning of the last two terms, marik and khfirdak, is doubtful, but they are certainly not syllables and letters, as the number of syllables exceeds 13,000. In other places (see Bund. I, 21) marik usually means ‘a word,’ but that meaning is expressed by the term vdsak here. If the number 9999 be correct, marik must signify some particular class of syllable which would include about three-fourths of the whole number of syllables. It may be noted, however, that Z4d-sparam, in the particulars he gives about the Gathas (see SZS. XI, ro, note 6), states the number of marik at 6666. The khfrdak or ‘ small’ things are probably the consonants,
Chapter Xiii, 50—Xiv, I. 369
XLI, 17), of which each stanza is three lines; sixty-
six stanzas of the Ustavaiti Gatha (Yas. XLII-
XLV), of which each stanza is five lines, except
Haééad-aspa (Yas. XLV, 15), for that one is four
lines; forty-one stanzas of the Spewta-mainyf Gatha
(Yas. XLVI-XLIX), of which each stanza is four
lines; twenty-two stanzas of the Vohd-khshathra
(Yas. L), of which each stanza is three! lines; and
nine stanzas of the Vahistdisti (Yas. LII), of which
each stanza is four lines, except Itha-i (Yas. LII, 6),
for that one is a stanza of five;—the amount of the
foregoing * is 278 stanzas *.
CHAPTER XIV 4,
o. May it be in the name of God (yazd4n) and the good creation !
1. When they consecrate a sacred cake (drén4),
and it becomes demon worship*®, what and how
many ¢Azngs are not proper?
1 All MSS. have ‘four,’ and then add the exception about Itha-f to the account of this Gatha, instead of mentioning it in the details of the Vahist6isti; which blunder is here corrected.
® Reading kadmon yeheviinisné, but the latter word, with part of the ciphers which follow, is torn away in K2o0, and in M6 it is written so as to resemble the Avesta letters gnn gnn, which are unintelligible, though something like Pahl. yehevinisnd; there can, however, be little doubt as to the general meaning of the phrase.
8’ The number of lines is easily computed from the same details, as follows :—300 + 120 + 329 + 164 + 66 + 37 =I1016 lines, as stated in § 50, and as they still exist in the Gatha texts.
5 That is, it becomes desecrated through some fault in the cere-
[s] Bb
370 sHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
2. The decision is this:—Whoever knowingly
consecrates a sacred cake with unpurified sacred
twigs (baresém-i apddiydz)', or with a_ twig-
bundle the number of whose twigs (tak) is Zoo many
or /oo few, or of another plant not proper for sacred
twigs; or holds the end of the twig-bundle to the
north? azd utters the Avesta attentively; or who-
ever consecrates with efficacy unawares, z¢ is not to
be considered as uttered by him. 3. Mor by him
who advertently or inadvertently takes a taste
(£ashnik), not from the sacred cake with the butter
(gatis-daé)*, du¢ from the frasast; or takes the
prayer (vag)* zxwardly regarding that cake (dréné)
before the officiating priest (z6t) takes a taste from
the same cake; or shall utter the length of a stanza
iz excess, and does not again make a beginning of
the consecration of the sacred cake; or takes wp the
mony, for any ceremony, which is too imperfect for acceptance by the celestial beings, is supposed to be appropriated by the demons, as performed for their benefit (see Chap. IX, 5). Demon worship is a term also applied to many other evil actions which are supposed to give the demons special power over the perpetrator of them,
* See Chap. III, 32, note.
* The supposed direction of the demons (see Chaps. X, 7, XII, 18). When praying, a Parsi must face either the sun, or a fire or lamp ; and when the direction of the sun is. doubtful, or when it is nearly overhead, he must face to the south, even when he is in so low a latitude that the sun may be somewhat to the north of him.
* Which usually takes the place of the meat-offering mentioned in Chap. XI, 4-6, and is placed upon one of the cakes on the left side of the table during consecration, while the frasasts are the cakes on the right-hand side of the table (see Chap. III, 32, note).
* That is, prepares for eating by muttering the portion of the grace which is to be recited in a low murmur before eating (see Chap. III, 6, note). This clause is omitted in K2o.
Chapter Xiv, 2-6, 371
Sl
dedication formula (shnfiiman6d)' 400 soon or foo
late; or does not utter the Avesta for the fire when
he sees the fire.
4. This is how it is when the period of the day
(gas)? is retained, and how it should be when oxe
may relinquish 2¢; that is, when even one of the
stars created by Atiharmazd is apparent, 7 is re-
tained, avd when not ?7¢ is relinquished. 5. It is
Vand-Attharmazd* wo said that when, besides
Tistar, Vanand, or Satavés*, one of the zodiacal
stars (akhtarik) is apparent, z¢ is retained, and
when not 2¢ is relinquished. 6. Zhere have been
some who said that when, besides one of those three,
three zodiacal s/ars are apparent, / is retained, and
when not 2¢ is relinquished’®.
? See Chaps. III, 35, VII, 8.
? See Bund. XXV, 9. The text appears to refer to the transi- tion from the Ushahina to the Havani Gah at daybreak ; and as certain portions of the prayers are varied according to the period of the day, it is very necessary to know precisely when each period commences, so as to avoid vitiating the whole ceremonial by the use of a wrong prayer.
5 See Chap. I, 4, note.
* Three of the leading stars, probably Sirius, Fomalhaut, and Antares (see Bund. II, 7).
’ This chapter is followed (in both the old MSS. M6 and K20) by the Pahlavi text of the Patft-i Khf¢, or renunciation of one’s own sim, a translation of which will be found in Bleeck’s English version of the Avesta, London, 1864, III, pp. 159-162, derived from Spiegel’s German translation of the Pazand text. This trans- lation is fairly correct on the whole, although some passages might be improved, thus (p. 162), instead of ‘all sins which may attack the character of man [or] have attacked my character, if I, on account of much death, have not recognised the death,’ &c., we should read ‘of all sins which may become the lot of men, and have become my lot, on account of whose excessive number I do not know the number,’ &c.
Bb2
372 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
Part II].—Appendix}.
CHAPTER XV 2,
1. Z¢ is revealed by a passage of the Avesta that
Zarattist, seated before Atharmazd, always wanted
information (v4%) from him; and he spoke to At-
harmazd thus: ‘Thy head, hands, feet, hair, face,
and tongue are in my eyes just like those even
which are my own, and you have the clothing men
have; give me a hand, so that I may grasp thy
hand.’
2. Attharmazd said thus: ‘I am an intangible spirit; 2¢ is not possible to grasp my hand.’
3. Zaratist spoke thus: ‘Thou art intangible, and
Vohtman, Ardavahist, Shatvairé*, Spendarmad, Hor-
vadad, and Amerdédad are intangible, and when I
depart from thy presence, and do not see thee zor
even them—since of the person whom‘ I see and
worship ¢here is something—should thou and the
seven archangels be worshipped by me, or not 5?’
' This Appendix consists of a number of fragments found in the old MS. M6, and of somewhat the same character as the Shayast la-shayast, but they have no claim to be considered as a por- tion of that work, Excepting Chaps. XVIII, XIX, XXI, they are not found in the other old MS. K2o0, and beyond the fact that they must be more than five centuries old their age is quite uncertain, though some of them are probably older than others,
* This chapter follows the Patit-i Khfid in M6, and is also found in Lrg, fols. 16-28; for a Pazand version of it, see Laz, fols. 113-122, and L7, fols. 70-76.
* Written Shatréivar throughout this chapter; these six (see Bund. I, 26) with Atharmazd himself, are. the seven archangels.
* Reading mfin, ‘whom,’ instead of amat, ‘ when’ (see Bund.
® Zaratfist is Coubtful whether he ought to worship beings of
Chapter Xv, I~7. 373
4. Atharmazd said thus: ‘ They should be; | tell
thee, O Zarattist the Spitaman! that each individual
of us has produced his own one creation (dayak)
for the world, by means of which they may set
going in its body, in the world, that activity which
they would exercise in the spiritual existence. 5.
the world that which is mine, who am Atharmazd,
is the righteous man, of Vohfiman are the cattle, of
Ardavahist is the fire, of Shatvaird is the metal, of
Spendarmad are the earth and virtuous woman, of
Horvadad is the water, azd of Amerddad is the
vegetation. 6. Whoever has learned' the care of
all these seven, acts and pleases well, his soul never
comes into the possession of Aharman and the
demons; when he Aas exercised his care of them, he
has exercised his care of the seven archangels, and
ought to teach all mankind in the world.
7. ‘Whoever wishes to propitiate Adharmazd in
the world, wishes to promote the things of Adhar-
mazd; axd whoever he be, with whom Atharmazd
ever is in every place (gds)’, it is necessary ‘hat he
should *® propitiate the righteous man, in whatever
whose existence he had had no tangible evidence, when he no longer saw them; fearing, perhaps, that they might have been mere dreams or optical illusions. But he is told that each of these spiritual beings is the protector of one class of worldly existences, and that the proper treatment of these existences is a man’s best means of reverencing the spiritual beings interested in their welfare.
1 Or ‘taught,’ for the verb has both meanings.
2 Or ‘at all times;’ it is always doubtful whether gas means ‘time’ or ‘ place.’
8 Throughout this chapter a conditional meaning is given to the verbs by prefixing han4, aé, or 1 (all representing Paz. aé or e) to the present tense, instead of affixing it.
374 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
has happened axd whatever occurs to him, and
should act for his happiness, and afford him protec-
tion from the vile. 8. Since the righteous man is a
counterpart of Adharmazd the lord, avd when the
righteous man acts it is caused by him who is
Attharmazd, whoever propitiates the righteous man,
his fame and welfare exist a long time in the world,
and the splendour of Atharmazd and pleasure and
joy become his own zz heaven (vahist).
Chapter Xv, 8—I5. 375
the splendour of Adharmazd becomes his own 7x the best existence’.
1 See Chap. VI, 3.
2 Holy-water is not put upon the fire, for that would be sinful, but it is presented to the fire, and the outside of the fire-place is sprinkled or washed with it (see Haug’s Essays, p. 403). The ‘fire of Afharmazd’ means any fire, whether sacred or used for household purposes.
’ The word may be read either aiyén or asin (Av. ayangh, Pers. Ayan, ahan, or 4hin), which is usually translated ‘iron,’ but also means ‘metal’ generally, as it certainly does here, and very probably likewise in B. Yt. I, 1, 5, Il, 14, 22.
376 SHAYAST LA-SHAYAST.
heart so unsullied and pure that, when they shall
drop melted metal upon z¢, it does not burn. 16.
And Atarépad son of Maraspend! even acted in this
priestly fashion (dastébarih), so that the melted
metal, when they drop z¢ upon the region (khan6)
of Azs pure heart, becomes as pleasant to him as
though? they were milking milk upon it. 17. When
they drop z¢ upon the region of the heart of the
wicked and sinners, it burns, and they die. 18. And
one should not commit sin with metal, and with its
burning ; and should not give gold and silver to the
vile. 19. For it is a counterpart of Shatvairé him-
self in the world for him, azd since he propitiates
those which are melted metals, his fame subsists in
the world, and the splendour of Atharmazd becomes
his own 27 heaven.
20. ‘Whoever wishes to propitiate Spendarmad in
the world, wishes to promote the things of Spend-
armad; and whoever he be, it is necessary, so that
Spendarmad may be with him, ¢4at he should pro-
pitiate, at every place and time, the earth and
virtuous woman, in whatever has happened and in
whatever occurs, avd should act for her happiness.
21. For when he does not spread out (bard 14
véshéd) this earth, and it does not separate one
piece from another, his body also zd? not be always
